UN Warns of Impending Starvation Crisis in Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict

Over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza may face severe starvation by mid-next month if hostilities persist. The war has led to heavy restrictions on humanitarian access and the collapse of the local food system. The situation in Gaza remains dire, with severe disruption of aid operations and ongoing fighting exacerbating the crisis.

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza could face severe hunger by mid-next month if the ongoing conflict continues.

According to a joint report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the worsening hunger crisis is due to severe restrictions on humanitarian aid and the collapse of Gaza's local food system amid the nearly eight-month-long Israel-Hamas war.

The report highlights the dire situation in northern Gaza, an area surrounded and isolated by Israeli troops for months. Although Israel has opened northern land crossings, they only accommodate a limited number of aid trucks each day for hundreds of thousands of people.

In southern Gaza, Israeli actions in Rafah have severely disrupted aid operations, and Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing closed since Israeli forces took control of it nearly a month ago. Aid is instead being rerouted to Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.

While the Israeli military reports that hundreds of trucks have entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom in recent weeks, the UN states that security concerns often prevent the aid from being retrieved. Distribution within Gaza is also hindered by ongoing conflict, a breakdown in law and order, and additional Israeli restrictions.

In March, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported that 677,000 people in Gaza were experiencing Phase 5 hunger, equivalent to famine. The two UN agencies now warn that this figure could exceed 1 million by next month.

The report stresses that without a cessation of hostilities and improved access, the impact on Palestinian mortality and lives will markedly increase, potentially affecting future generations.

The FEWS NET, funded by the US Agency for International Development, also suggests that famine may already be occurring in northern Gaza, although data collection to confirm this is hampered by the ongoing conflict and access restrictions.

Last month, Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program, referred to the situation in northern Gaza as "full-blown famine," a statement later clarified as her personal opinion by experts at the UN agency.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, an area is classified as under famine when 20% of households face extreme food shortages, 30% of children suffer acute malnutrition, and the daily death rate from hunger and complications is high.

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